About 40 people have died in what is thought to be Israel’s largest ever forest fire, police have said. Many of the victims were prison guards travelling on a bus which was caught in the inferno in the Carmel Mountains near the northern city of Haifa.

Thousands of people, including prison inmates, have been evacuated from the area. Scores more have been injured, the ambulance service said. The cause of the blaze was not immediately known.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has visited the affected area, said it was an “unprecedented disaster”.

Days of torrential rain have brought widespread flooding to Venezuela, destroying thousands of homes and killing at least 21 people.

A state of emergency has been declared in four states, including the capital, Carcas. Many of the deaths occurred in poor areas of the capital, where landslides have swept away houses built on steep hillsides. The government says at least 5,600 people have been left homeless.

Flights have been disrupted at the main international airport and the road linking it to Carcas has been cut by landslides. Worst hit have been the coastal states of Falcon, Miranda and Vargas, as well as the capital district of Carcas.

Thousands of people are living in temporary shelters, including schools, universities and army barracks.